Life... Whatnot...

Our Christmas

2010-01-06T08:48:00.017-06:00

I thought I'd share some pictures of our Christmas...

At the beginning of December, an "Elf on the Shelf" arrived at our house. The book that came with him let us know that he was sent to our family from the North Pole. Each night he would fly back and report to Santa how the kids had been that day. He would then return to a different place in our house. Our responsibilities were to name him and never touch him. Pretty simple, really.

Meet our elf, Zephyr Zippy-Jet.He ended up in all kinds of places: the Christmas tree, stockings, the kids' closets, our car, kitchen cabinets, our nativity scene... he was all over the place! He went back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. We will miss him until he comes back next year.

We had a lovely Christmas morning. It started with the ceremonial underwear toss. When Pat was little, he would get underwear or socks at Christmas. He'd toss it over his shoulder and move on with the next gift. For the past few years, the first presents we open are underwear or socks. And all together, we toss them over our shoulders. It's sort of our opening ceremony for Christmas morning.

The kids each had 3 simple wishes this year....

A bathrobe. To this day it only comes off when we make him take it off and get dressed!

Money! Went straight to his savings account. He is laser-beam focused on saving up for a laptop. He's been saving up for about 8 months now.

Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots! Brough knocked Dad's block off!!

A pink iPod!! She was so excited!! You can see her pink Snuggie in the background. That was wish #2.

Becca asked for pink pom poms, and couldn't understand why Santa brought red ones. She eventually decided the red ones would work.

Becca's nest...

How much do I love that he was excited and enthusiastic about getting a dictionary?!!??

Bubble wrap is AWESOME!!!!

There's more to report, but I've spent about 2 hours on this post (I have serious issues with blogger's formatting program!), and have lots to get done. I'll post more in a day or two. Until then, I'll leave you with this...

Hope you had a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Cheers!!

Resolutions

2010-01-02T20:41:00.012-06:00

It is time to get back to the blog. I have been sidetracked by FaceBook for a year now. As part of my resolutions for 2010, I plan to blog a few times each week.

As I was looking back on 2009 and thinking about 2010, something occurred to me: The blog is really the best way for me to chronicle what our family is up to. I'm just not a scrapbooker (although I have about 3 bags of stuff that I've set aside to fill the adorable and empty scrapbooks I bought for the kids when they were babies). The blog allows me to record the day to day "stuff" that happens in our lives.

2009 was a great year for our family. It was a pretty good year for me personally, but I feel like there were some areas that I really let go. As we all know, the start of a new year is a great time to start fresh. So... here are my resolutions for this year:

Blog at least 2 - 3 times a week. I only list this first, because I'm writing it here... on my blog. I set the limit of a couple of times a week so I don't end up spending 20 hours a week on blogging, instead of accomplishing my other goals!

Go to church regularly. We used to go every Sunday, but for a multitude of reasons, we've gotten pretty lax in our attendance. It's time to make church a priority again.

Take better care of my family and our home. I am not a good housekeeper. There, I said it. But I resolve to do better. I let myself get overwhelmed, distracted, etc. Our house is really cute and has so much potential, but I've never put the work into making it all it could be. This is the year!

Continue excercising. I am proud to say that I finally started working out regularly in September. I have been sick off and on for the last 2 months, so I haven't been working out like I should. But I really miss it and am looking forward to re-establishing that routine.

This is the year I'm going to make my calendar my best friend. I'm going to get myself organized and stay that way. I'm not saying I'll ever be a Type A SuperMom (nor do I think I'd really want to!) But, I'm going to stop just floating through life like I have been.

The Start of School

2009-08-25T15:52:00.012-05:00

It's tradition at our house to take photos on the front steps before school on the first day. So, here are this year's:

This outfit should have been Becca's "1st day of school" outfit. Only problem is that the temperature was supposed to be 103 degrees. We'll have to save it for cooler weather. Maybe school picture time! But, I had to get a picture of her in it. She's such a good sport to put up with her crazy Mommy. I got her up, had her put it on, we went out front (it was still a bit dark), and took the pictures. Then she had to go back in and put on her actual outfit for the day - which of course we had to take pictures of too!!

Becca was starting Kindergarten. I was really quite OK with it. I seemed to do all my "grieving" last Spring, and cherished every one of those last moments of her being home with me. Sunday night, when I was tucking her in, we were talking about how exciting it was that she was going to be a Kindergartner. Then she said, "It's just really a bummer that I won't be here at home with you anymore. We'll never have just you and me time again." It was all I could do to keep the tears back. I hadn't really realized that she had a grasp on that. But I guess seeing her brother come and go every day for 4 years and not be home with us... she gets it. Ugh. That was hard.

Afternoon report:

Becca LOVED her first day of school. She said her teacher was beautiful (I agree, she's adorable) and that she made 2 new friends already. And she loved being able to finally ride a big yellow school bus.

Brough, on the other hand, did not have a great day. Our district rezoned last year, and we're at another school now. All of his buddies are still at the old school. He said, "I don't really like any of the kids, this school smells bad, and we didn't even do any multiplication! We just reviewed addition. I hate reviewing!!" aaaah... the struggles of a math whiz! :-)

We had plans to get together with our friends for ice cream in the afternoon. We've always done something after the first day of school since the boys were in Kindergarten. They became friends in pre-school when they were 3.

Brough and Stratton

Becca and Hays

(the younger siblings)

Brough needed to see his old friend that afternoon. It was good for both of them.

Brough's bad attitude continued into Tuesday. He could think of not one good thing, and had no interest in ever returning to that school. He's always loved school and it broke my heart to see him like this. He and his sister had been bugging me to take them to the Dollar Store. So, I told him I'd give him a dollar for every truly good thing he could tell me about school that afternoon. Not just that they had lunch, or that the day finally ended at 3:00, but truly good things. I figured he might come home with 4 or 5, but that afternoon, he told me 10 good things that happened that day. And he was smiling and enthusiastic! Yay! He's been back to himself since. Whew! Oh, and I suggested that he take his 4th grade activity book he'd been working on this summer and ask his teacher if he could work in it when he was finished with his addition problems. Thankfully, she said yes, and he is now able to work multiplication and division on his own instead of "just boring addition review". (I don't think I ever tried to seek out harder math problems!)

All seems to be well now. The kids are getting into the groove of school, and I'm enjoying a silent house during the day. Now, I just need to get myself into a good groove of getting busy on all my projects and getting off the computer....

Ready for School!

2009-08-23T21:14:00.011-05:00

One last little bit of extra summer fun? Check.

School supplies ready to go? Check.

Backpacks loaded and hanging on their hooks? Check.

Clothes for the week put in the bins? Check.

(my new "brilliant idea" for this year)

Mom ready to send her kids to a new school, and more than that, send her baby to Kindergarten???

umm..... I'll get back to you tomorrow!

I took the summer off from blogging, but now I'm ready to start back up.

We had a fantastic and very busy summer, which I will be sharing in the coming weeks.

Waffle House

2009-06-07T21:03:00.018-05:00

I grew up in Alabama and Georgia, home of the Waffle House. They are few and far between here in Texas. However, there is one near the Austin Airport. It has become a tradition for the kids and me to stop and eat there whenever we have to take Patrick to the airport.

He left today to go to London... well, Surrey to be exact. He was acting all mopey about it, but I don't feel too bad for him. He's staying at Pennyhill Park Hotel, which is a 5-star property offering such unique activities as shooting clays and archery. Also, in the directions for how to get there, they list coordinates for those arriving by helicopter. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's going to be just fine!!

So, we said good-bye...

I think Pat was giving Brough the "you're the man of the house while I'm gone, so take care of Mom and Becca" speech.

Bye, honey!! Love you!

And... off to the Waffle House.

I don't know what to tell you, the place just makes me happy. From the way it's laid out so you can watch all of the food being prepared, to the signs on the wall, to the yummy, yummy waffles... It's just a good place to be.

It wasn't very busy in there this afternoon. I guess 5:30 is not prime time at the Waffle House. The kids wanted to sit at the counter and watch all the food being prepared. Plus, it's just good fun to swivel in those tall stools.

The cook and the waitress were so nice to the kids. The cook would talk to the kids as she was fixing everything. The kids decided to order 2 different things, and share with each other. The cook overheard them, and went ahead and made up their plates with the food already divided up. Awesome!!

Then, my waffle arrived. Let me tell ya, if you've never been to a Waffle House, you cannot comprehend the bliss that is sitting on this plate...

Yes, that is butter pooled up in all the little waffle squares, and, yeah... I ate the whole thing!!

After she finished eating, Becca went over and checked out the juke box.

And, it just wouldn't be a family outing without one of the kids being weird. So, here is a picture of Becca... who figured out how to use her dress as a cup holder. What can I say? She's creative.

It's All Good For Me Too!!!

2009-06-07T20:49:00.007-05:00

My two blogging/Emmaus buddies, Jen and Catherine both have really cute signs that say, "It's All Good" in their yards (both signs have made appearances in each blog). I think maybe they bought them together. Or one of them bought one for the other. I can't remember the story now.

Well, my friend Barbara gave me a dish the other day that says, you guessed it....

And guess what? It came filled with chocolate!! I had to eat it all so you could see what was written in the bottom of the dish, dontchyaknow!!!

Woo Hoo!!

Too Hard

2009-06-07T20:44:00.005-05:00

I've not been writing for awhile. My grandfather died a couple of weeks ago, and I want to write something special for him. But I just haven't been able to do it yet. And it felt weird to do silly, frivolous blog posts before I wrote that one.

However, I have decided it's OK to post some other stuff. I will post something about him soon. It's OK to take a little extra time, that way I'll do it right. And maybe by writing other stuff, it will make it a little easier to write his.

Mother's Day

2009-05-18T15:42:00.007-05:00

I'm behind, but I wanted to share a little bit about our Mother's Day...

The plan was for me to sleep in, which is always appreciated. From my sleepy state, I heard Patrick and the kids up and watching a movie. But to my surprise, the movie was put on for a fake out for old Mom! While the movie was playing, Pat and the kids were cleaning the kids' rooms, and Pat gave Brough a haircut. Wow!

But after I got up, the magic wore off. Bummer.

I can't remember why, but both kids got a case of the grumpies. I thought I'd share the pictures.

9:02 am Grumpy Boy sits outside the back door.

And at 9:10 am, Princess Pouts A Lot makes a return appearance...

But everyone was happy again before too long. Becca was still running a fever, so we decided to just hang at home. It was a lovely, lazy day!

Sick Girl

2009-05-18T15:32:00.005-05:00

Just thought I'd share a photo of Becca when she was sick. When I took this picture, her temperature was 103.8!

Yes, I'd been on the phone with the nurse. We were doing Advil 'round the clock. Becca was in remarkably good spirits. In the picture, she is enjoying a cold wash cloth to the forehead and a Pedialyte Freezer Pop. I keep those in my freezer at all times. They are wonderful. I even munch on them when I have a stomach virus.

She's much better now!! Yay!

Turn, Turn, Turn

2009-04-24T23:43:00.009-05:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,4, 9-13

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God."

We lost a good friend yesterday. Paul was one of those people that you felt like you'd known him your whole life as soon as you met him. A good guy, through and through. He was a dedicated and wonderful teacher - a middle school teacher, at that. He had such a gentle spirit and a wonderful laugh. And he had cancer.

Paul was married to Wanda, my Mother in-Law's best friend. They were the kind of couple we all hope to be. They loved each other. Cherished each other. Went fishing together. Had adventures together. Loved each other's kids and grandkids. They took care of each other, in more ways than they ever expected to when they started their journey together. They just fit.

Paul battled cancer off and on for years. He fought the good fight. And early yesterday morning, that fight ended. We will miss him so much.

And despite our sadness over his loss, life moves forward...

Even as we're so sad, we are rejoicing as well. Just yesterday our family suffered a loss (for there is no question that Paul was part of our family), today our family has grown.

Today, Pat's brother became a Dad! Today, we welcome this sweet baby girl to this world.

Isn't she beautiful?

And so we are thanking God for the gift of life. We thank Him for the gift of Paul's life and the mark Paul has left on each of our hearts. And we thank God for the gift of this precious new life - so full of promise. We pray that we might be fortunate enough to leave a mark on her heart as she grows. That she may know goodness and joy, laughter and adventure, and that she may live life to the fullest. Just as Paul did.

Surprise!!

2009-04-21T08:13:00.004-05:00

I love surprises. Love, love, love them. Good surprises, that is. Not a huge fan of someone jumping out if front of me and yelling, "Boooo!!" That is a bad surprise, and I do not love these. My husband learned this early in our marriage when he jumped out at me from between two cars on a dark street one night.

Right now, I'm involved in some way in several surprises that will be unfolding over the next few months. It's very exciting, but it's very hard too!

I'm constantly worrying about something slipping out when I'm talking with one of the "surprise-ees". Anyone who knows me can tell you that I wear my emotions on my sleeve. I'm very easy to read. (Except those times when I'm intending to be funny, and am coming across snarky and mean. I'm working on that.) I'm just so afraid something's going to slip!!

Can't wait for the first one to unfold... Hmmm... When will it be? Who will it be for? Stay tuned...

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T08:08:00.021-05:00

Just thought I'd share a little of our Easter...

I forgot about dying eggs until Saturday night... ooops!! The kids didn't seem to mind staying up a little late to get them done. They're good sports, those kids of mine!

Becca decided that she didn't need to use the dipper or a spoon.

We tried marbleizing the eggs this year. They came out pretty neat. Just dip in one color, let them dry, add vegetable oil to the dyes, and dip the eggs in another color. The colors didn't come through properly in the photos, (they were really bright) but you get the idea...

They selected eggs to put out for the Easter Bunny, and put together their usual tray of carrots - with the addition of celery this year - and a note for the Easter Bunny. We always put our baskets out on the front porch so our dog doesn't bother the Easter Bunny, and so she doesn't eat all the chocolate!

The kids woke up before us Sunday morning, grabbed their Easter Baskets and took them back to their rooms to check them out. So, alas, no photos of full baskets to share with you.

It was pouring rain when we woke up, but it cleared up and turned into a perfect day!

We got ready for church and headed out. It was a lovely service, although our pastor is always amazing!

Everyone looked so nice, and we haven't ever taken Easter photos, so I rounded up the troops. Managed to get a cute one of the kiddos pretty quickly.
*sigh* What perfect, perfect children.

Brough took a nice picture of Pat and me.

And then, while trying to take this picture, things started falling apart...

We had an unexpected visit from Princess Pouts-a-Lot.

And then, while I was dealing with the Princess...

Boys!.... Boys!!...

Arg!!!

OK, Much better!

(although I won't tell you what Pat said to get Brough to smile)

The princess deemed us worthy of her presence again, and I'm so glad that she did!!

I hope your Easter was filled with unexpected blessings!

A Fun Surprise!

2009-04-11T20:43:00.007-05:00

The kids and I were running some errands yesterday that were in the same area as where our old Target used to be. (see the previous post for info about our new store) We were surprised to see signs saying "Open to Public" and "Fixture Sale". So we wandered in.

Oh my! It was our old store, the one we thought we'd never be in again, but it was stripped bare! We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at the stacks of shelves. It was a little surreal.

The kids wanted to visit where the toy section had been. We found the fixture that had held the Schleich animals that the kids love so much. And what did my highly observant son find in the back of one of the bins??

A little meerkat that had been left behind!

I decided that since the store was completely stripped down, it would be OK for the little critter to come home with us. (is that terrible?) And so, with our new little friend we said good-bye to the old store, and headed back out to see what other adventures the day might hold for us.

Our New Target Store

2009-04-02T05:46:00.007-05:00

Our town opened a new Target a few weeks ago. The kids and I decided to go check it out.

As we parked, I started thinking whether it would be weird to take some photos before we head into the new store for the first time. I decided that yes, it probably would be.

As we walked up to the front of the store, my son said, "Hey, Mom, take our picture here!" as he climbed onto one of the red concrete spheres out front. HOW MUCH DO I LOVE MY KIDS????

Then there was this by the front door. Pretty cool photo spot actually. We may try again when the sun isn't so darn bright.

Hey, look what I found!! They have EVERYTHING here! Picked up 2 pretty cute kids. And they were on sale!!!

Note for the germophobes (like me): These carts were brand new!!

Patrick asked me if I loved the new store, and to my surprise I didn't. It was nice, but it didn't feel like my Target store. I've been cruising the aisles of the old one for about 10 years now. It's been my place to run away. It's been my "happy place" to just wander for hours and not even buy anything. And now it's closed down, and we have the new one. I'm sure this one will grow on me, we just need some time to get to know each other.

Spring Break

2009-03-21T09:58:00.015-05:00

Barbara and Karim are very dear friends of ours. We met through church, and have had many an adventure with them. Barbara is a pastor, and right now she's appointed to a small church in South Texas. Karim has kept his job near us, with the hopes that someday soon (please, God!) she'll be appointed closer to home. Karim spends weekends with her, but it's hard during the week. She's in a small town, far away from the people she loves. And while she likes many of the people there, she's still quite lonely. So, when we can, the kids and I load up and go invade her all too quiet town. Which is what we did the first few days of spring break.

One day, we went drove to Corpus Christi. We had planned to go for a walk on the jetties or boat docks, or go see a movie, but ended up on the beach. We were all wearing jeans - clearly not well planned. Still, the first beach experience of the year is always the best!! So we rolled up our pants legs, and enjoyed it.

(Thanks to the position of the sun, I could only get photos from behind.)

Soaking wet and covered in sand!!!

No towels. No change of clothes. Oh, well. That happens sometimes when spontaneous fun occurs.

Another day, we went over to see King Ranch. At 825,000 acres, it is the largest ranch in the US. To put it in perspective, it is almost the size of the state of Rhode Island!! Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do the hour and a half long tour that they offer. It was fun to learn more about the ranch.

The "running W" is the symbol of the ranch, and is branded on all cattle... and just about anything else they can put it on!! :-)

Barbara and me (in the bright, bright sun)

Cow!!!!

We live in Texas. We see cows all the time. But for some reason, it's always fun getting close to them.

It was a great visit, although short. I always feel our crazy, loud visits help her appreciate the quiet and solitude a little bit when we leave!

More coming about Barbara and Karim. We are celebrating Newroz - the Kurdish New Year - with them this weekend.

Arg!

2009-03-13T14:05:00.008-05:00

Oh, my poor blog, how I've neglected you! I'm so sorry, I got sidetracked by something new...

Curse you, FaceBook!!!

OK, that's partly true. Mostly, I just haven't felt inspired to write anything lately. I'd sit down and think and ponder, and nothing would happen. Rats!

I thought about just posting some random photos here and there, but nothing really spoke to me.

Life has been full of "busy-ness". I'm going and doing all day, and it's all kind of a blur. So, I'm trying to slow down. Working on focusing on the important stuff, trying to let go of the stuff that's stressing me out.

And most of all... I'm really trying to stop procrastinating! I think of the wasted time, the stomach aches, the nerves, the guilt that all come from putting things off. I've really been proud of myself for the things I've checked off my list lately. But it seems that for every one thing I check off my list, I become aware of two more that need my attention. I'm taking deep breaths, and just keep moving through the list. Trying to stay intentional, and not worrying.

On a side note, I don't know why my paragraphs aren't spacing properly. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with the formatting, but something's off. Sorry about that! It looked great when I was typing it.

Now for some good news... school gets out for Spring Break today, and I ma SO looking forward to it!!! I should have some fun stuff coming soon!! Thanks for hanging in there with me!!

Ashes to Ashes

2009-02-25T21:29:00.005-06:00

Today is Ash Wednesday. Many people will be giving up chocolate, sodas, and the like for the next 6 weeks. But at the Ash Wednesday service tonight, our pastor had a different suggestion. She suggested taking on something positive during Lent. Actually, 3 somethings. Something for your body, something for your heart, and something for your spirit.

Something positive for your body. Boy, where to start??? But, you know, it could be something as simple as being grateful that you are healthy. Or making those appointments for physicals, and dental check ups that we've put off. Or it could be the ever-popular eating better or working out. What positive step will you take for your body?

Something positive for your heart. Strive to be more generous and loving with those around you. Here are some thoughts she offered for this category:

Hear and Understand

Even if you disagree, that doesn't make the other person wrong.

Acknowledge the greatness in others.

Remember to look for others' good intentions.

Tell the truth with compassion.

There's some good stuff there. We can all show each other more grace.

Something positive for your soul. We could probably all stand a little work on our souls. Our pastor has suggested journaling during Lent as a soul-check. What about praying more? And remembering to take time to listen for God's response? Ask yourself that age-old question, "Is it well with your soul?"

I plan to do something active everyday (body), to have patience and take more deep breaths before speaking (heart), and read my Daily Grind devotional and the Bible everyday (soul).

How about you?

Visions of Summer

2009-02-19T09:15:00.022-06:00

Winter is drawing to an end, but we probably still have some more dreary days ahead of us. So, here is a reminder of what's to come. These were taken in Beaverton, Oregon when visiting my amiga mejor, Kristy.

Hang in there!!!

I'm Back!!

2009-02-12T08:46:00.024-06:00

Ugh! Between me being sick, my son being sick, and just a whole lot of feeling scattered and stressed, I am wondering where the last couple of weeks have gone! Holy cow. Hoping to pull myself back together... soon!

Yesterday, my son's class went to the Witte Museum in San Antonio. I went along with them. It was very fun. I got an extra kick out of it, because I used to be the events director years ago and haven't been back in a long time.

How many 8 year olds fit in a dinosaur footprint??

Umm... hey, guys, you might want to look behind you!!

The Sky Bike was a huge hit.

Although we didn't have time to see the Genome exhibit, this poster cracked us up...

Fun at the HEB Science Treehouse...
Don't look down!!!
Yikes!!

We made lots of new friends...

And sat on a chair of nails!!!

You know my favorite part? Even though he had all his buddies with him, he said, "Mom, I'm so glad you're here!" And as we were climbing the stairs, he reached out and held my hand. I know these moments will probably become fewer and fewer, so I savor them when they do happen!!

My Kids Rock!!!

2009-02-03T13:56:00.011-06:00

I have been sick for several days now, which has not been fun. Some nights I dragged myself out of bed to fix dinner, other nights, I let Patrick and the kids fend for themselves with pizza or chicken nuggets.

Saturday morning, I managed to drag my coughing, sneezing, fever-y self out of the house for the pinewood derby. After that, Mom needed a nap!! When I woke up, my son asked if I felt like eating dinner that night. I hadn't eaten much other than broth for days. I told him I thought I might actually eat something that night. He said, "OK" and ran out of the room.

About 20 minutes later he called from the other room and asked if I was ready to come to the kitchen. I figured that meant he was ready for me to fix dinner, but when I came out I was greeted with...

A handsome young waiter (with a dashing mustache) and his adorable assistant!

The sign on the table read...

"From scratch. Yummy. Always Unexpected."

I'll say!

And what, you may ask, do an 8 year-old and a 5 year-old prepare for dinner? Well...

Multi-Grain Cheerios, whole wheat bread, garlic breadsticks, beef jerky, peanut butter cheese crackers, part of an energy bar, yogurt covered cranberries, banana, peanuts, and for dessert: clementine orange slices, 1/2 a guava-mango poptart and Smarties!

By the time we'd finished eating this fine meal, we had full tummies, and our hearts overflowed.

Pine Wood Derby!!!!

2009-01-31T15:07:00.019-06:00

Saturday was the much anticipated Pine Wood Derby for our Cub Scout Pack. The boys have been working on their cars for a month now.

For those not familiar with it, here's what happens...

Your little guy is given a car kit. It contains a block of wood, some wheels, and nails to put the wheels on.

Great thought goes into what the car should look like. There is usually consultation with Dad and friends.

Once the design is decided, the block is taken to a helpful grown-up for cutting. This is a very tense time, requiring close supervision and inspection...

Well done, Mr. Brown!! Thank you!

After a little sanding, comes the very important weigh-in. The cars need to be as close to 5 oz. as possible.

Hmmm... 2.5 oz.... we're going to have to add some weights!!

Race Day!!!

The car is painted, weighted, and all weighed in. We're ready to roll!!

He took 4th place in the Bear Cub group.

Great job, buddy!!

Pinkalicious!!

2009-01-26T11:15:00.018-06:00

Saturday night, Becca had her first slumber party. It wasn't her birthday, it was just one of those things that evolved. She and I decided just for fun we'd make it a Pinkalicious night!

Everyone wore pink, brought pink jammies, and went through about 264 wardrobe changes, almost all in the shade of pink!!

We started out by reading the book Pinkalicious. (the link code overrode the pink text. bummer.)

Next, it was time to do nails, hair, and make-up.

We made pink cupcakes, of course!

Any food that could be made pink, without being gross, was made pink. We had pink kettle corn for a snack (popped in microwave, opened bag, poured in pink sugar, sealed bag, and shook it up.)

We made pink Mac and Cheese (added 2 drops of food coloring to a batch of Kraft White Cheddar), had strawberry applesauce, and even had a strawberry vinaigrette for the salad eaters in the bunch. Beverage choices were Cherry 7Up, White Cranberry Strawberry juice, and strawberry milk. Yum.

A good toothbrushing was definitely in order!!

And they were all snuggled in bed and drifting off to sleep by 9:30!!!

We had a great time!!

Fabulous Friday Night!

2009-01-26T09:18:00.013-06:00

In general, we are low-key kinda people. But, wow, did we have a fun weekend! My friend Monica was planning a date night for Friday and discovered that John Legend was hosting an "after party" for his concert in Austin at a club called Speakeasy. Monica got it in her head that she and her husband were going (even though it was sold out), and we were coming with them. In about 2 hours, Monica had arranged a table in front by the stage!!

So we went out for an amazing dinner at Perry's. We got to Speakeasy at 9:00. John Legend was supposed to arrive at 11:00, but we figured he'd be a bit later than that.

We hung out on the rooftop terrace...

and, in a very uncharacteristic move (and great lapse of judgement)...

...did shots of Patrón.

We listened to James Kinney while we waited. He was amazing! All of us are fans of his now.

They kept telling us John Legend was on his way, that he was in the building, etc. Then we found out - at 1:30 - that he was in the back room of the club! We'd had this great table all night right by the stage, and it turns out he played in the OTHER ROOM!! Arg!!! We went back there and saw him from very far away, and for only about 5 minutes before he left. Bummer, dude. But you know what? We had a GREAT night anyway!!

So, here are my very grainy photos of him that I took while holding my camera up over my head and shooting over the crowd in a very dark club.

He's on the right. And yes, he's very cute.

We got home about 3:00 am!! Party people!!

I honestly cannot remember the last time we were out so late!

We still got it! (although this party girl required quite a nap the next day!)

Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T15:40:00.014-06:00

What an exciting day!!! We have a new president.

photo by: upi/newscom

You may have already heard this pointed out today, but a peaceful change of government leadership is not the norm throughout the world.

photo by: Rick Wilking / Reuters

Just think back to the elections in Kenya last year, where scores of people died in riots after the election.

Which is why I have loved seeing the pictures from Kenya today. The people of Kenya have been so excited about Barack Obama becoming president - seeing the son of a Kenyan become president of the United States has brought so much excitement to that country!

Photo by: Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post

Photo by: Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Photo by: Tony Karumba / AFP / Getty Images

My friend Diana travels through Nairobi, Kenya on her way to Rwanda several times a year. She said that when she went through in late November, there was "Obama mania".

Barack Obama came to our town almost a year ago and our whole family went to go see him. We were fairly far back in the crowd, so you can't see him in the photos, but we could see him pretty well.

It was a great night, and the kids were actually excited to see Barack Obama. He gave a great speech, but there's limited time kids will listen to any speech - no matter how good it is. Eventually they decided they'd rather watch Wonder Pets on my iPod. No matter your political leaning, please take time to pray for our new president and all of our leaders. Our country is in a difficult time, and they will be making many critical decisions over the next 4 years. Pray for their wisdom and discernment during this time.

God Bless the United States of America!

Polar Bear Swim 2009

2009-01-09T08:20:00.018-06:00

photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridapfe/2276021343/

Thought I'd share some photos of our Polar Bear Swim from last weekend.

Granted, a Polar Bear Swim in south Texas is very different from say... Canada, but by the end the kids were shivering and their lips were bluish so we think it counts.

We went to stay with our very dear friends who are in the final phase of installing their pool, and this was the first time the kids really swam in it.

Even the Dads put on their swimsuits and got in. How cool are they? Actually, given the water temperature, they were very cool! Ha Ha.

Because it's the "off-season" for swimsuits, I'm not posting photos of the Dads. (even though they looked just fine!)

The Mommies chose to stay dry, to be the official photographers and enjoy Limoncellos by the pool.

Smart Mommies!

Cold Little Polar Bears!!

What could make the day more special?

It was Hayden's birthday!!

Thanks for letting us share your special day - and your new pool!!!

We love you, buddy!

The girls in their après swim attire.

Plans are already being made for the 2nd Annual Polar Bear Swim in 2010!

Who Knew??

2009-01-02T23:28:00.005-06:00

By the way, I had to share a discovery we made while decorating Christmas cookies at my family's house. You know those little silver balls that you use to decorate cookies?

Check this out...

Do you see it yet?

Here, look at the side of the bottle.

I'm sorry... Did you say "non-edible"?

I have been eating these on my Christmas cookies my whole life. And now, at 39, I finally notice they are "non-edible"??? What??

We left them off the cookies this year, but I'm pretty sure they'll be back next year. I mean, come on, the bell cookies just don't look right without the silver balls as the clapper. And don't get me started about the fact that the wreath cookies look positively bland without them!

Catching up...

2009-01-02T21:07:00.019-06:00

Happy 2009!

Wow, did I get lost in the "busy-ness" of Christmas! I had so many good intentions for updates, and had fun photos to share, but the ol' blog kept getting shifted lower and lower on the priority list as Christmas approached. It's good to be getting back into the old routine. So, here's what we've been up to...

We rang in the New Year in San Antonio.

We had so much fun. More about that coming soon.

First, an update on Christmas...

Visiting my family:
We went to San Antonio to visit my family. We went out to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort to look at the Christmas decorations.

Then we went back to the house and decorated Christmas cookies

and had the family gift exchange.

Brough's favorite??

Martian Matter! Thank you, Aunt Shannon!!

It was a great day of hanging out and enjoying being together!

Next, on to Pat's folks:

The train was set up under the tree, as always.

The kids only derailed it 3 times this year!!

If you look closely near Brough's knees, you'll see a dinosaur getting knocked off the track by the engine.

Much of the evening was spent tracking Santa on NORAD.

When we first logged on, Santa was in Ireland. The kids followed him to the Azores, Cape Verde, the South Georgia Islands, and through some of South America. When Santa hit Canada, Brough went on Red Alert and we had to head home!!

Becca's favorite gift of the day?

a GINORMOUS dog from Uncle Kevin.

Really, you can't imagine how big this dog is.

Christmas Day at Home:

How much do I love that their favorite gifts were

Hungry, Hungry Hippos and...

Operation!!!!

I'm tellin' ya, they're classics for a reason!!

We loved them as kids (right, Shannon??) and now our kids love them.

For the 3rd year, we spent a wonderful, peaceful Christmas at home, just the 4 of us. It gives us a chance to make sure that once the frenzied fun of opening the gifts is over, we spend some time together cuddled up on the couch talking, laughing and remembering what - and who - Christmas is all about.

And of course, just before bed, we gather together to watch...

I hope your Christmas was filled with joy and many blessings!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T13:06:00.004-06:00

Guess who dropped by our house last night??? We found this photo this morning on the cookie plate amongst the crumbs! Brough thinks it was Santa's way of saying thank you, "because we put out egg nog instead of just plain old milk". Hmm, maybe. Or maybe it was this that we heard about from a friend yesterday afternoon.

More to come later. Lots to write about, but savoring time with the family today.

Blessings and joy to you and those you love!

Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

Happiness

2008-12-17T08:53:00.016-06:00

On her blog Hi Ho Ohio has 6 things that make her happy. So I got to thinking, what makes me truly, down to the core of my being, blissfully happy and content?

You know, it truly is the simple things in life...

1. Hanging out with this guy.

Whether we're chillin' at the casa, or out on the town - doesn't matter. He's the one I can be my whole, true, goofy, mental, sometimes catty, philosophical, silly self around.

2. These two...

What can I say, they make life complete. They are so funny, so smart, so sweet.

3. Waking up on a Saturday morning with NO PLANS for the entire day. A day wide open with possibility. Will we use it to get things done around the house? Plan a grand adventure? Or just have Family Jammie Day and do nothing but play board games, read books, watch a DVD, pop popcorn, have waffles for dinner? The possibilities are endless.

4. Time with family and friends. You know the people in your life who just make you happy - who make your day better for having seen them or even just chatting with them on the phone? No agenda. No expectations. No "keeping up with the Joneses". The people who like you just the way you are. And you like them just the way they are.

5. Serving God by serving others. I know, sounds kind of high and mighty. But here's the thing, doing good for others... showing them love... those little random acts of kindness... that's how we can change the world. And as much as you set out to bless others, you'll find yourself feeling blessed right back! It doesn't matter if you're doing mission work in Africa, working in a soup kitchen, sitting and listening to a friend who's hurting, or just smiling at a stranger who looks a little down... selfless acts have this sneaky way of making you feel good.

6. Being alone at home. As much as I love my family, there is something wonderful about being home by myself. The quiet. Aaaaah. Freedom to catch up on all my chores or to kick back and read. The only person I need to fix a snack for is myself. Yeah, I've decided it's OK to be a little, tiny bit selfish every once in a while. Pat occasionally takes off with the kiddos and the dog and lets me have "Mommy Alone Time" as the kids call it.

Home alone + a soda + a snack (some kind of junk food) + mindless magazine (Entertainment Weekly, People...) + comfy couch = Happy Mom!

What makes you happy? Leave a comment and let me know...

Top Chef, Jr.

2008-12-14T17:48:00.008-06:00

OK, first an update from Friday... Santaland Diaries was wonderful! We laughed so hard! We saw it at the Zachary Scott Theatre in Austin. It's performed in the round, and the theatre is small, only 3 rows of seats. At first it felt a little too "intimate", but once the show got rolling, I loved it! If you're near Austin, get on over and see it! It runs through January 11.

On to Saturday... Brough decided in the morning that he wanted to make Chinese food for dinner. He loves cooking. Top Chef is one of his favorite shows. So, we pulled out the cookbooks, and ultimately decided to prepare dishes from this one...

We made Kung Pao Pork (it's supposed to be Kung Pao Chicken, but I had pork already, so we switched), Green Bean Stir Fry, and Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad. We also made some Vietnamese Pho. Brough decided on the recipes, made the grocery list, went shopping with me, and helped prepare. He worked really hard all day (I'm talking 9:00 am - 7:00 pm with a 1 hour break, here!). Becca pitched in with the prep work too.

Cooking with the kids always means it takes twice as long and dirties twice as many dishes, but it's so worth it!

It goes against all my "mommy" instincts to let him near the stove! But he's so careful. I've also started letting him slice veggies since he earned his "Whittling Chip" in Cub Scouts. He sliced the red pepper for the green beans...

It was a great dinner! Brough and I were both pretty tired when it was done, but we're already looking forward to the next time.

Santaland Diaries

2008-12-12T09:30:00.011-06:00

Tonight we are going to see Santaland Diaries.

It is a play based on the writings of David Sedaris, who may be one of the funniest people on the planet. (BTW, you can listen to Santaland Diaries at the link on David Sedaris' name.)

It's a surprise for Pat... so if you see him today don't say anything!

It will be fun to have a grown up night out. And the kids are excited to have a sitter. I just got the Christmas books and movies out of storage yesterday (bad mom!), so I'm pretty sure they'll be drinking hot chocolate and eating popcorn while watching

and probably reading

and

and / or

I love starting a day that is bound to end with happiness and (side-splitting) laughter!!

What the Hail??

2008-12-09T22:42:00.009-06:00

We ate a late dinner tonight after Becca's Christmas program at school (see previous post). Out of no where it started hailing a bit. Not unusual for here in TX. The pieces that were falling were quite small, so after a few seconds, we went back to our conversation. The hail subsided soon after.

After the kids were asleep, I heard it start up again in earnest. I turned on the back porch light and found this...

Oh my goodness!!! When I opened the door to take the photos, I realized it was really cold. Pulled up a weather forecast online, and sure enough - it was SLEET! Um, wow. It had been in the 70s today! Becca wore shorts to school, and now we have sleet???

I guess it's because I said I was so jealous of this earlier today.

A Fun Day...

2008-12-09T22:16:00.014-06:00

Tonight was the Christmas program for Becca's school. We aren't the type of parents who usually love the preschool singing programs, but this is her last Christmas program. She'll be heading off to "big kid" school next year. *sigh*

Leave it to our little princess to rock it out during "Silent Night".

I kept Brough home from school again today. Although he felt great, he was still running a fever. Becca had school today, so I was able to spend some alone time with my Big Guy. We snuggled up and read books for quite a while.

A bag full of books from the library and new loot from the school book fair... Bliss!!

Later, he suggested dominoes. We played a game that was a combination of Chicken Foot and Mexican Train that only he and I seem to understand.

I showed this photo to him right after I took it. He asked to see it again a few seconds later. Then he asked to see it again. It wasn't until the 3rd time he wanted to look at the picture that I realized he was looking at my dominoes!!! little stinker!

He's growing up so fast. What a blessing to spend a day of down time with him!! And we didn't turn the TV on once!

Christmas Bliss

2008-12-08T08:56:00.017-06:00

One of our favorite things about living in our small town, is the Christmas Festival held each year.

Pat had to work late that night, so he missed the fun this time.

Brough sang with his school choir. Can you see him??

After he finished (You did a great job, buddy!),

it was off to spin under the Tree of Lights...

Feel dizzy yet?

What next?? How about the Carousel...

and

Cotton Candy!!!!!

Yup, Becca ate THE WHOLE THING!!

OK, she had a little help from Mom (very little).

It was really quite cold, so we decided to get hot chocolate for the kids and a hot cider for Mom

Of the three of us, guess who spilled?

Me!

While taking the above photo, I placed my drink between my knees...

And guess where my HOT cider landed????

Oh, yeah! Very nice!!!
(no, this is not going to be one of those kind of blogs, but it may help you get to know me better. it was a very "me" kind of thing to do.)

My very warm wet jeans very quickly became very cold wet jeans! But I'm a trooper, so off we went to "Bethlehem" to make mangers. Then it was time to head home.

What a fun night!!! And we didn't even make it over to the carnival rides this year. We'll save that for next year!

Does it always start this way??

2008-12-06T21:25:00.003-06:00

So, does every blog's first post say something like, "Guess I'm going to try this blog thing" or "All my friends are blogging, guess I'll try too?" Well, looks like mine will as well!

I got drawn into the world of blogs by my friend Jen. From hers, I've visited blog after blog... you know how it goes, you're reading someone's blog, and click a link of a blog she likes. Then you click a link on that blog, and on it goes. I've been a shameless lurker, but now that I've joined up, I'll practice better blogging etiquette!

Over the past few weeks, when I've been out with the kiddos I've found myself thinking, "Oh this would be fun to blog about," so here is the proverbial first step of a thousand mile journey...